Rolling apparatus.



E. TERNSTRC'AL.

Y ROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18. 1914.

Patented May 30,1916. I

WITNESSES.

ran sraras arana carton ERNST TERNSTRijM, OF JEMEPPE-SUR-MEISE, BELGIUM, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SOCIETE ANONYIVIE JOHN COCKERILL, OF SERAING, -IBELGIU1VI.

ROLLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

Application filed April 18, 1914. Serial No. 832,851.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LERNST TERNsTRoM, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at No. 62 Quai des Carmes, Jemeppe-sur-Meise, Belgium, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rolling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for object to provide an improved rolling apparatus for rotary armored turrets, turntables, swing bridges, and other similar structures, and is designed to protect the rolls, rollers or other rolling devices of such structures and also the circular' tracks in connection with which they run from anydeformation which might result from a sudden extra load. In the case of armored turrets, for example, the explosion of a shell on the top of the turret may exert a pressure sufficient to produce flat surfaces on the rollers as well as impressions of the rollers in the surfaces of the circular tracks and thus interfere with the proper working of the turret. According to the present invention these disadvantages are obviated by constructing the rollers, rolls, wheels or other rolling devices with rims which are capable of a certain amount of deformation and sufficiently elastic to resume their normal shape after such deformation, fillings or cores of wood or other elastic material (or springs) being arranged between the axles or hubs and the inner surfaces of the rims.

The improvements further consist in combining these elastic rollers, rolls, wheels or the like with circular tracks having edges or flanges which are separated from each other by a space which is less than the deflection corresponding to the elastic limit of the said rollers, rolls, wheels or the like, in such a manner that the said edges or flanges are able, by their contact, to limit the deformation in the vertical direction which the rolling devices may undergo under the action of the extra load.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure 1 is a section illustrating an improved rolling apparatus constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is an axial section of the elastic roller detached. Fig. 3 is an axial section of a modification of the roller.

In Fig. 1, a indicates the roller, 6 the lower roller-path or track upon which the said rollers run and c the roller-path or track of the ring carried upon the said roll- These rollers, as shown, are mounted upon spindles d, d carried between two rings c, f for maintaining the said rollers equidistant and in an accurate radial position, and to allow of this each of the said rollers is advantageously constructed, as illustrated in Fig. 2, with a central sleeve 9 having a flange it formed integral with it at one end and adapted to have another flange i fixed to it at the other end.

k indicates the rim which forms the surface of the roller and which is carried between the two flanges h, 2', and Z indicates a filling of wood or other suitable material in the space between the central sleeve 9 and the inner surface of the rim is. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 a pair of dished springs m is inserted between the body 70 and the sleeve g.

With the construction hereinbefore described it will be understood that under an ordinary load the elastic rollers will suffer no appreciable deformation. In case of a sudden overload, such as may result from an explosion, as hereinbefore referred to, the rollers will be more or less deformed and assume a slightly oval shape. Directly the load upon the rollers is relieved, however, the said rollers, owing to their inherent elasticity and also to the elasticity of the inner filling, will assume their normal circular condition. In order to prevent the deformation from becoming permanent by exceeding the elastic limit of the metal, I arrange in conjunction with the lower roller path or track Z) and with the path or track 0 of the structure carried upon the rollers, external flanges a, 0 respectively, the space between which flanges is so limited as to be slightly less than the reduction in vertical diameter which the rollers will usually sustain. In the case of an ordinary load, the elastic rollers when they are sufficient in number, remain practically circular, that is to say, no appreciable'fiattening is apparent. In the case of an extra load due to an explosion or any other sudden application of force, the elastic rollers will become oval to an extent which is less than that corresponding to the elastic limit of the rims, owing to the flange 0 of the upper path or track 0 coming into contact with the surface a of the lower path or track 1) whereby the extra load will be taken by the base of the structure. When the extra load is removed the elastic rollers will resume their original shape. In this manner the rolling portion of the structure will undergo anascending 'movement and the state of affairs existing before the shock will be reestablished, that is to say, the rollers are without flat places and the circular tracks are without impressions.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the examples described and shown-herein, but that it is applicable generallyto all rolling devices interposed between two rolling tracks, which are liable to be called upon to support a sudden extra load.

Claims:

'1. In a rolling apparatus, the combination with the upper and lower tracks, of a series of rolling devices, each of which comprises a hollow rim of resilient material forming the perimeter of the rolling device, a sleeve arranged centrally within the rim, flanges upon the ends of said sleeve between which'the hollow rim is capable of yielding inwardly and a yielding support arranged between the rim and the sleeve. whereb the rims'of said rolling devices may move simultaneously inwardly from opposite sides when greater than normal pressure is placed a a hollow rim of resilient material forming the perimeter of the rolling device, a sleeve arranged centrally within the rim, flanges upon the ends of said sleeve and between which the hollow rim is capable of yielding inwardly, and elastic springs arranged between the rim and the sleeve, whereby the rims of said rolling devices may move simultaneously inwardly from opposite sides when greater than normal pressure is placed on the upper track.

8. A rolling apparatus, comprising the combination with elastic rolling devices, of roller paths ortracks provided with edges or flanges that are separated by a space which is less than the deflection corresponding to the elastic limit otthe rolling devices. for the purpose specified.

ERNST TERNSTRGli L Witnesses:

H. SAVAGE, VICTOR H. DURAS.

Copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. C." 

